<< This spring, the Midtown Community Court began sentencing cyclists who had been issued tickets for certain offenses in and around Midtown Manhattan to a class to learn about bicycles and traffic.

Think remedial driver’s education — for bike riders. >>

<< So far, 30 cyclists have been sent to the class, the court said. The two most common offenses have been riding on the sidewalk and not using the bicycle lane.

Mr. McKissick was hardly alone in complaining of unfair treatment at a class last week. Several cyclists admitted riding on the sidewalk for a few feet and complained that the sentence — often a day of community service in addition to the class — was excessive.

“It was literally three seconds,” Steve Galiczynski said of his short sidewalk ride to his parking spot on the Upper West Side, witnessed by a police officer. He said he had already spent a day cleaning up trash in Times Square. “This whole thing is nuts. It’s like I’m in a Russian novel — a crazy Russian novel.” >>

I'm a pretty strong bicycle advocate (and I was hit by a car while riding carefully and obeying laws), but here in Berkeley I see bicycles routinely breaking all kinds of laws - running red lights, making illegal turns, going the wrong way down streets. Not so much biking on sidewalks, but tons of other stuff. It burns me up as I am a very law-abiding cyclist and hate it when I see cyclists assuming since they aren't a car they can do whatever they like. I've almost hit cyclists running red lights who just blaze through in front of me.